Tuberculosis in a cervical node in a child

Abstract EN

Tuberculosis is one of the oldest diseases known to humankind and one of the top ten causes of death worldwide, according to the last reports of world health organization (WHO).

Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) that most often affects the lungs as the favorable site, but it can takes extrapulmonary sites.

Extrapulmonary tuberculosis remains challenging because clinical samples obtained from relatively inaccessible sites may be paucibacillary, thus decreasing the sensitivity of diagnostic tests.

Tuberculosis lymphadenitis is the most common form of extrapulmonary tuberculosis exceptionally tuberculous pleuritis, and cervical lymph nodes constitute the most common site of involvement.

The incidence of extrapulmonary tuberculosis increases in the last twenty years.

We describe the case of a 15-year-old girl with a swelling in the left side of her neck, which was removed surgically, and we continue on HERZE regimen.

Clinicians must suppose tuberculosis lymphadenitis in any swelling in the neck in patients lives in endemic regions.